I think everyone’s missing the real issue, by trying to associate the driver’s style too closely with the vehicle they choose to own. Sure, I also find SUVs annoying from time to time, although if I’m honest I’d find it hard to tell you exactly why. The conspicuous consumption issue and one-upmanship is objectionable, and I think these folks are frequently just suckers for the TV ad image. But that’s not it.
The real problem is not down to SUV drivers especially, it’s ANYTHING drivers. The general standard of driving skill is so appallingly bad in the US that I would guess 35% of people currently tooling around out there should not be allowed control of a Tonka toy, never mind an automobile. The seven deadly things I see every single day:
No signals for turn or lane changes
Hogging the overtaking lane for no reason
Cutting across two lanes to make a missed exit because of 2)
Not looking in mirrors, generally awful observation skills
Excessive speeding, especially at inappropriate times in heavy traffic
Tailgating, and last but best…
Talking on that fucking cellphone while driving
I suggest the entire nation is immediately forced to do a re-test to a patrol car driving standard (which is not that demanding either), and if they fail, get mandatory professional training before doing the test again. After all, if you are fit to be on the road, you’ll pass the test, right? Do I hear any objections, and if so, why?
I think historically speaking there are some clear parallels across the decades. Why is the demonizing of the SUV all that different than the demonizing of:
“Muscle Cars” in the 1960’s (big, gas-guzzlers, hard to park, driven by “one-upmanship-crazed teenagers who smoke the marijuana cigarettes and have unprotected sex…”)
Station Wagons in the 1970’s (big, gas-guzzlers, hard to park, driven by “one-upmanship-crazed conformist Suburbanite Nixon-voters from Pleasant Valley…”)
Minivans in the 1980’s (somewhat big, gas-guzzlers, hard to park, driven by “one-upmanship-crazed Baby Boomers and crazed Moms with “Baby on Board” signs on every single damn window!…”)
And SUVs in the 1990’s (big, gas-guzzlers, hard to park, driven by “one-upmanship-crazed psychopaths and energy-hogs who only want to openly sodomize sweet Mother Earth…”)
Kinda funny, the hatred of SUVs, if one thinks back a bit.
Oh, this is rich. He first gets trounced in this thread, pusses out and starts another thread… THEN he gets trounced in that thread too, and runs back HERE with his tail 'tween his legs!! And he’s STILL making irrelevant, unrelated, non-sequitor-ish posts!!
I think that fatherjohn’ll want to retract his statement. I read it to mean that Coldfire is doing a good job of making fatherjohn look like a jackass without any help.
Congrats. Another astonishing example of not being able to think for yourself, sonnyjim. I’m going to look at this in the light of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery.
